| Full legal name | Association of Psychologists in Bulgaria |
| PIC | 945374514 |
| OID | E10037715 |
| Accredited | Adult sector |
| Official legal form | non-profit organization
Research center /NGO/ also adult education center |
The Association of Psychologists in Bulgaria (APB) is a non-profit organization founded in 2008 and designed to help young people and future professionals in the social, educational and health fields.
It actively participated in the preparation of the European Youth Conference on Youth Strategy 2020 and the DG meeting in October from 2 to 4 2010 in Leuven, BELGIUM and supports the establishment of the National Youth Forum 11-14.03.2010 in partnership with European Youth Forum.
We are members of Pact for skills and European Alliance for Apprenticeships
APB is accredited under Erasmus+ program.
Currently, the association has over 300 members, 80 of whom are volunteers. The age of learners is 6-73 ( kids, youth and adults).
The organization provides individual and group psychological counseling and psychotherapy for people of all ages and life situations. Organizes training programs, seminars, courses, lectures and trainings, we provide expert and methodological assistance in various spheres of public life. We work on projects for the successful integration of children, young people and adults, including disadvantaged groups – such as migrants from different backgrounds, refugees (including women migrants and refugees), the Roma, people with disabilities and the unemployed through various methods such as social assistance, health, education, empowerment, career development, psychological and social consulting and many others. We offer expert and methodological assistance and personalized training in various areas of public life, where psychology has its place – social work, education, health, business, culture, sports, politics and more.
Our organization has many years of experience in the field of social inclusion and integration of ethnic minorities, migrants and members of marginalized groups of all ages. We have worked on a number of projects related to the prevention of social exclusion and isolation among children, youth and adults. We conduct research, organize seminars, discussions and charity events to raise awareness of good practices and methods in the fields of psychology, women empowerment, education, training, equality, social inclusion, anti-discrimination on the basis of gender, sex, religion, race, ethnicity, etc. Our goals are also to address the gender pay gap, gender stereotypes, gender inequality at home and at work.
Our partners are municipalities, regional authorities, universities, schools, kindergartens, NGOs and others.
The Association of Psychologists in Bulgaria offers individual and group psychological counseling, as well as training and workshops tailored to various professional groups and communities. The goal is to enhance effectiveness, psychological resilience, and professional competence.
For educational professionals, we offer a rich portfolio of trainings, including methods for working with children with special educational needs (SEN), such as adapted teaching practices, the development of Individual Educational Plans (IEPs), and collaboration with support teams. We focus on building intercultural competence for effective communication and integration of children from migrant, refugee, or minority backgrounds. We provide strategies for preventing and managing aggressive, anxious, or hyperactive behavior in the classroom, as well as screening tools for the early identification of children at risk, assessing their social-emotional functioning, anxiety, stress, and isolation. Other topics include classroom management, positive discipline, group dynamics, student motivation, and the development of inclusive school environments through supportive policies and practices. We also offer programs in emotional literacy for children and adolescents through the implementation of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), prevention of teacher burnout with emotional recovery techniques, psychological hygiene, and work-life balance. Crisis intervention training is available for responding to incidents, loss, violence, or disasters, along with support for working with parents, conflict resolution, and enhancing parent-teacher collaboration.
For municipal and government officials and experts, we provide both practical and theoretical training in emotional intelligence and managing emotions in stressful situations. Our programs also cover stress management and burnout prevention, interpersonal effectiveness through assertiveness and handling difficult interactions, and conflict resolution strategies such as mediation and workplace de-escalation. We address working with vulnerable and high-risk groups, emphasizing social sensitivity, professional boundaries, and self-protection. Leadership in public administration is supported through coaching techniques, team motivation, and delegation skills. We focus on building effective teams through trust, shared leadership, and role awareness, and we train participants in serving emotionally demanding clients with calm and productive communication. Time and priority management strategies are also included to improve productivity and reduce overload.
For companies and private organizations, we offer specialized training aligned with organizational culture and business environments. These include corporate coaching and mentoring to enhance leadership and personal development, the psychology of sales and customer service by understanding consumer behavior and building emotional connections, and emotional intelligence training for managers and team leaders. We support adaptation to organizational change such as restructuring, mergers, and internal transformation. Trainings also focus on building resilient teams, strengthening team identity, improving communication and motivation, and implementing feedback mechanisms to address internal resistance. Our modules address organizational communication, corporate values, and managing difficult conversations. We offer psychologically focused team-building sessions, with simulations and group dynamics diagnostics, and we address workplace toxicity prevention by identifying manipulative behavior and encouraging ethical practices.
For non-governmental organizations (NGOs), we provide training for psychological work with people in vulnerable situations such as violence, poverty, trauma, or addiction. Our capacity-building programs are designed for social workers, mediators, and field staff. We offer supervision and emotional support for teams working in the field, and provide methodologies for facilitating group work, tension management, and group process leadership. Ethical standards in helping professions are addressed through training on professional boundaries, responsibilities, and emotional protection. We support communication with institutions and network-building for integrated care. Crisis intervention programs are tailored to social services, including responses to violence or emergencies. We also train facilitators and trainers in methodology, presentation skills, and handling difficult participants.
For psychologists, social and healthcare professionals, and mediators, we offer training, supervision, and specialized programs aimed at developing both professional and personal resilience. These include individual and group supervision focused on the emotional challenges of helping roles, training in crisis intervention and trauma-informed approaches for work with victims of violence, accidents, loss, or chronic illness, and community-based mental health and psychosocial support using interdisciplinary models. We address working with people who have complex life stories and repeated trauma, including issues of secondary traumatization and emotional fatigue. Ethical conduct and professional boundaries are emphasized, alongside strategies for self-protection and maintaining sustainable contact. Our training also includes interinstitutional cooperation and multidisciplinary teamwork, mediation and non-violent communication, intervision groups for peer support and collaborative case resolution, and burnout prevention with a focus on self-reflection, boundary-setting, and managing feelings of shame, guilt, and helplessness.
All programs are delivered by experienced trainers, supervisors, and psychologists with extensive backgrounds in helping professions. Certification is available, along with options for long-term partnership and the development of in-house training teams.
Work with Migrants, Refugees, and Minorities
Our objectives include improving the outreach and awareness among migrants regarding their health rights, including general, sexual, reproductive, and mental health. We work to introduce tools and methods for communication and integration within national health systems without changing those systems. We prioritize vulnerable groups such as migrant women (including mothers), elderly migrants, youth, unaccompanied minors, and frontline professionals.
Our activities include awareness-raising campaigns on health rights through community outreach, intercultural mediators, migrant-led organizations, and digital tools. We co-design integration support services in collaboration with migrant and women’s organizations and adapt and disseminate existing educational materials and best practices. We use digital platforms, multilingual guides, mentorship systems, and evaluation tools such as questionnaires.
Our expertise spans mental health, sexual education, and counseling across all age groups. We have experience working with diverse target populations, including vulnerable migrants, Roma communities, and people with disabilities, across the age spectrum (6 to 73 years old). We bring solid experience in co-design, awareness-raising, social inclusion, youth engagement at the EU level, and multisectoral partnerships.
We develop intercultural public health ambassador programs that train migrant volunteers, including women and youth, as peer educators on health rights, prevention, and mental health. These programs include mobile community-based services that are informal, accessible, and multilingual.
Our co-design labs bring together professionals working with migrants to develop and implement user-friendly tools—such as videos, flyers, and mobile apps—focused on healthcare access. These efforts include a special focus on young people and unaccompanied minors, with attention to sexual, reproductive, and mental health, as well as elderly migrants.
We integrate counseling and psychotherapy by providing group and individual mental health services in schools and community centers. We use evaluation tools to assess improvements in access to information, self-confidence, and service use.
A digitalization and training package is developed by adapting existing materials into multilingual e-learning modules with role-play and interactive content. We also provide toolkits for NGOs and healthcare professionals working in migrant communities.
We organize multi-stakeholder training events to build capacity among public officials, healthcare workers, and educators in migrant-sensitive practices. These events include roundtable exchanges and the publication of best practice guidelines for distribution.
Our initiatives include pilot implementation and scaling of activities across urban and small-town locations in Bulgaria.
Gender Equality Plan (GEP)
Association of Psychologists in Bulgaria (APB)
Adopted: 2025 Gender_Equality_Plan_APB